born in November, 1792, and entered
the army as a drummerboy in 1803; he died here in July, 1879. He served
41 years, and was for the last 25 years of his life office keeper of the
Royal Engineers' Office in this town. Another "Waterloo man," George
Taylor, died here, November 6, 1880, aged 98.

~Water Pipes.~--In 1810 Mr. Murdoch started a Company for manufacturing
stone pipes for water-works, and they made a large quantity, which were
laid down in London and Manchester, but they had to come up again, as
the pipes split--and the Company burst.

~Waterspouts and Whirlwinds~ are not of common occurrence hereabouts.
One of the former burst over the Lickey Hills, April 13, 1792, the
resulting flood reaching to Bromsgrove. A whirlwind at Coleshill, April
4, 1877, played havoc with some hay-ricks, hedges, trees, &c.

~Water Street~, formerly Water Lane, had a brook running down one side
of it when houses were first built there.

~Weather Cocks.~--Mention is made of Weather Cocks as early as the ninth
century, and it has been supposed that the Cock was intended as an
emblem of the vigilance of the clergy, who irreverently styled
themselves the Cocks of the Almighty, their duty being, like the cock
which roused Peter, to call the people to repentance, or at any rate to
church. These are the longest-lived birds we know of. The one which had
been perched on the old spire of St. Martin's for a hundred years or
more was brought down July 22, 1853, and may still be seen at Aston
Hall, along with the old bird that tumbled off Aston church October 6,
1877. The last was made of copper in July, 1830, and contained, among
other articles, a copy of Swinney's _Birmingham Chronicle_ of June 29,
1815, with a full account of the Battle of Waterloo.

~Weighing Machines~ were introduced by John Wyatt, in 1761, and the
first was purchased by the Overseers in 1767, so that the profits might
reduce the poor rates. It was situated at the top corner of Snow Hill,
and so much did the Overseers value it, that they gave notice, (Feb.
18th, 1783) of their intention of applying to Parliament for the
monopoly of securing "the benefit of weighing out coals to the town."

~Welsh Cross.~--One of the Old-time Market-houses at the corner of Bull
Street, the bottom portion of the edifice being used by country people
as a butter market. The upper room was for meetings and occasionally
used for the detention of prisoners who came (it has been said) through